DOCSLIB.ORG

A Reflection on Muslim- Christian Dialogue

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Reflection on Muslim- Christian Dialogue A R M-C D BlackwellOxford,MUWOThe0027-4909©J943ORIGINALuly Blackwell Muslim2004 UK Publishing, ARTICLEWorldPublishing Ltd. 2004 MuslimsAMarcia Reflection Hermansen on Muslim-Christian Dialogue in the Performative Mode: A Reflection on Muslim- Christian Dialogue Marcia Hermansen Loyola University Chicago, Illinois s an American Muslim, I am the embodiment of dialogue, yet at the same time, my identity can complicate such discussion. In the A American context, the role of a Euro-American convert to Islam may be confusing — am I a failure or a success of such interactions? As a liberal Muslim, I don’t look Muslim enough to fulfill the requirements of certain dialogue partners, who expect their female interlocutor to cover her head and to have an Arabic-sounding name, or be visibly “Other” or different in some striking way. Theologically, I am a pluralist, and some exclusivists find me far less interesting as a dialogue partner because of this. As an observer rather than a participant, I have far more often witnessed encounters initiated by Muslims. As a presenter, however, I have probably participated in a greater number of dialogues initiated by American or Christian institutions. The lines sometimes become blurred because I may be invited to participate as a scholar of Islam or as a practicing Muslim, or both. With increased exposure to one another, the complexity of our dialogue increases. Some imagine the dialogue partner to be some sort of essential Muslim or Christian; the reality is that within each tradition there are liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, fundamentalists and post- modernists, and even mystics, not to mention other factors that impact discussion, such as gender, race, social location and so on. I believe that the contexts in which we as individuals operate often determine those we will encounter in our everyday “dialogues of life.” For example, the assumption of the academic environment in which I normally operate is secular humanism. Dialogue was not occurring in Religious Studies 387 T M W • V 94 • J 2004 at San Diego State when I taught there and even the Theology Department at Loyola University Chicago is not a seminary. Dialogue on college campuses is the purview of ministry centers and seminaries, not the academic mission of the universities themselves. There is an impression among many Muslims that American universities, especially the prestigious ones, have tried to avoid teaching Islam in a way that treats the faith dimension, or even other aspects of the religious tradition, as central. The devout Muslims are in the medical and engineering schools, not in the humanities and social science faculties. To be fair, most Muslim students are still channeled by their families and intellectual formation at home and by their communities into the professions, rather than the interpretive disciplines. As I already indicated, the expectation that Religious Studies and even Theology departments have as a mission the inculcation of faith or the promotion of dialogue is also misplaced. This misconception is unfortunately not only found among the religious public, but often in other areas of the university where the study of religion is misunderstood as being a confessional or even apologetic project. I recall participating in a panel before an audience of university chaplains, Jewish and Christian (but not Muslim) that featured professors from the “Abrahamic” traditions who were to reflect on negotiating our religious identities in the classroom. I explained that aside from the academic objectives of the course, I want my Muslim students in my “Islam” class to develop mature faith and the ability to reflect critically. The chaplains didn’t much like my response. They idealize the palpable piety of many Muslim students and want them to remain “unspoiled,” because on their campuses, it’s the Muslim students who remain “believers,” who pray, who believe in Adam and Eve, etc. At my university, a Jesuit institution, the Ministry Center organized a number of “intentional” dialogical events that were successful exchanges — a panel on grieving, for example, and another on the idea of vocation, which were sharings across and from within respective traditions. These events, however, attracted very little interest on campus, although the participants enjoyed themselves immensely. I would characterize such events as “structured” conversations, and I’m wondering if religiously unmarked or less strongly marked space facilitates such conversational dialogues. That idea led me to reflect on a more general theme for this essay of the rhetoric of inter-religious dialogue, especially with respect to patterns of Muslim participation. Initially, I came up with three modes of Muslim-Christian dialogue: conversational dialogues, didactic dialogues, and performative dialogues. This classification, which I do not claim is exhaustive, highlights the position of participants within broader structures of power, authority and culture. It also seems to me that Muslim-initiated dialogue tends to fall primarily into the latter two categories. And exotic identity tend to structure 388 A R M-C D the position from which Muslims will interact. This rhetorical model highlights a different set of issues from Diana Eck’s contextual categories of dialogues as parliamentary, institutional, theological, dialogue in community/life, spiritual dialogue, or dialogue in silence (internal),1 though it is at the same time not incompatible with that formulation. I note that here I am exclusively analyzing contexts in which Muslim participants represent the minority and those who are assumed to be unfamiliar and less known, if not the oppressed and misunderstood.2 This element of being the “unfamiliar” may not always be the case in actuality, since the fact of living in America does not mean that Muslim participants in dialogue have made any particular effort to learn about the other religions. Still, minority status In the interest of brevity, I will primarily focus on the concept of the “performative” mode adopted by Muslims and why so many dialogues initiated by Muslims take place in this genre. Conversational dialogues structured around shared issues such as life cycle commemorations, grieving, etc. attempt to explore diverse practices reflecting common human experiences, provoking knowledge of and empathy with the other. In another model of conversation, these interfaith dialogues continue over an extended period, with participants first getting to know each other as individuals and gradually building trust and rapport with one another. Only once this is established can more specific elements of religious difference be engaged. In dialogue that is more doctrinal, say, the comparative discussion of the concept of God, the situation is likely to be more tense, apologetic and even competitive. Here the rhetoric may on occasion be didactic — teaching about one’s own faith position — and often less personal — not what “I” believe about God, but rather what Islam or Christianity teaches. Comparative information may be provided, but in most cases, defining difference ultimately prevails over seeking similarities. C. M. Naim, reflecting on dialogue between Muslims and Christians, expresses his dissatisfaction with this sort of event, noting, The inordinate emphasis on the scriptural and the juristic and a simultaneous neglect of the experiential produced dialogues in which the salvific aspects, the mysteries of religious experience and other such matters got mostly left out. The two faiths [Christianity and Islam] became two ideologies, of which one seemed to control all history while the other appeared to have no agency at all — one stood for a body of aggressors, the other for a cohort of victims.3 Dialogue in the Performative Mode After finding the performative element of certain dialogues initiated by Muslims to be resonant with my own experience, I reviewed some of the 389 T M W • V 94 • J 2004 contemporary literature in philosophy and cultural criticism in which this term is used. Speech act theory, the seminal work of J. L. Austin, Doing Things with Words, in particular, is a major source about the performative.4 The relationships between words, actions, and the contexts in which utterances are made are central components of this theory. According to Austin, the performative element of speech is the effect that it has on the hearer, but this effectiveness occurs in a broader context than the explicit content of the words uttered. Utterances themselves may be illocutionary or perlocutionary. Illocutionary utterances are those that “when saying, do what they say, and do it in the moment of that saying,” hence amounting to deeds.5 Perlocutionary utterances lead to certain effects that are not the same as the speech act itself. The distinctive aspect of such performative utterances is that they do not merely name, they also perform what they are naming and represent it at the same time. Further, as one scholar of religion and ritual theory notes, the concept of performance enables analysts to overcome the mind-body dichotomy,6 since the effect of such speech act arises from conventional elements beyond the words themselves and includes the embodied context in which they are uttered. A key issue of performativity developed in subsequent discussions is the acknowledgement of the role played by power. It has even been claimed that “one who speaks the performative effectively is understood to operate according to uncontested power,”7 for “performativity
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Differences Between Sunni and Shia Muslims the Words Sunni and Shia Appear Regularly in Stories About the Muslim World but Few People Know What They Really Mean
    Name_____________________________ Period_______ Date___________ The Differences Between Sunni and Shia Muslims The words Sunni and Shia appear regularly in stories about the Muslim world but few people know what they really mean. Religion is important in Muslim countries and understanding Sunni and Shia beliefs is important in understanding the modern Muslim world. The beginnings The division between the Sunnis and the Shia is the largest and oldest in the history of Islam. To under- stand it, it is good to know a little bit about the political legacy of the Prophet Muhammad. When the Prophet died in the early 7th Century he not only left the religion of Islam but also an Islamic State in the Arabian Peninsula with around one hundred thousand Muslim inhabitants. It was the ques- tion of who should succeed the Prophet and lead the new Islamic state that created the divide. One group of Muslims (the larger group) elected Abu Bakr, a close companion of the Prophet as the next caliph (leader) of the Muslims and he was then appointed. However, a smaller group believed that the Prophet's son-in-law, Ali, should become the caliph. Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr should be the next leader have come to be known as Sunni. Muslims who believe Ali should have been the next leader are now known as Shia. The use of the word successor should not be confused to mean that that those that followed the Prophet Muhammad were also prophets - both Shia and Sunni agree that Muhammad was the final prophet. How do Sunni and Shia differ on beliefs? Initially, the difference between Sunni and Shia was merely a difference concerning who should lead the Muslim community.
    [Show full text]
  • TITLE of UNIT What Do Muslims Do at the Mosque
    Sandwell SACRE RE Support Materials 2018 Unit 1.8 Beginning to learn about Islam. Muslims and Mosques in Sandwell Year 1 or 2 Sandwell SACRE Support for RE Beginning to learn from Islam : Mosques in Sandwell 1 Sandwell SACRE RE Support Materials 2018 Beginning to Learn about Islam: What can we find out? YEAR GROUP 1 or 2 ABOUT THIS UNIT: Islam is a major religion in Sandwell, the UK and globally. It is a requirement of the Sandwell RE syllabus that pupils learn about Islam throughout their primary school years, as well as about Christianity and other religions. This unit might form part of a wider curriculum theme on the local environment, or special places, or ‘where we live together’. It is very valuable for children to experience a school trip to a mosque, or another sacred building. But there is also much value in the virtual and pictorial encounter with a mosque that teachers can provide. This unit looks simply at Mosques and worship in Muslim life and in celebrations and festivals. Local connections are important too. Estimated time for this unit: 6 short sessions and 1 longer session if a visit to a mosque takes place. Where this unit fits in: Through this unit of work many children who are not Muslims will do some of their first learning about the Islamic faith. They should learn that it is a local religion in Sandwell and matters to people they live near to. Other children who are Muslims may find learning from their own religion is affirming of their identity, and opens up channels between home and school that hep them to learn.
    [Show full text]
  • Beginning to Learn Islam. Muslims and Mosques Year 2
    Wolverhampton SACRE RE Support Materials 2015 Beginning to learn Islam. Muslims and Mosques Year 2 Wolverhampton SACRE Support for RE Beginning to learn from Islam 1 Wolverhampton SACRE RE Support Materials 2015 Beginning to Learn about Islam: What can we find out? YEAR GROUP 2 ABOUT THIS UNIT: Islam is a major religion in Wolverhampton, the UK and globally. It is a requirement of the Wolverhampton RE syllabus that pupils learn about Islam throughout their primary school years, as well as about Christianity and other religions. This unit might form part of a theme on the local environment, or special places. It is very valuable for children to experience a school trip to a mosque, or another sacred building. But there is also much value in the virtual and pictorial encounter with a mosque that teachers can provide. This unit looks simply at festival, story and worship in Muslim life. Local connections are important too. Estimated time for this unit: 8 short sessions and 1 longer session if a visit to a mosque takes place. Where this unit fits in: Through this unit of work many children who are not Muslims will do their first learning about the Islamic faith. They should learn that it is a local religion in Wolverhampton and matters to people they live near to. Other children who are Muslims may find learning from their own religion is affirming of their identity, and opens up channels between home and school that hep them to learn. This is the first unit on Islam in the syllabus and it makes an important starting point for further learning throughout the primary school.
    [Show full text]
  • Origins of Islam Warm up Question
    Origins of Islam Warm Up Question • What was the name of the Roman emperor who issued the Edict of Milan? What was the Edict of Milan? • Who spread Jesus teachings? What was his name? Geography and Life in Arabia • Arabia is mostly a desert land. • Two ways of life—nomadic and sedentary—developed in the desert. Arabia is mostly a desert land. • The Arabian Peninsula lies near the intersection of three continents, so it is called a “crossroads” location. – Africa – Asia – Europe • Arabia’s location has shaped its physical features. Muhammad The Prophet • Muhammad became a prophet and introduced a religion called Islam in Arabia. • Muhammad’s teachings had similarities to Judaism and Christianity, but they also presented new ideas. • Islam spread in Arabia after being rejected at first. • Muslims believe that God spoke to Muhammad through an angel (Gabriel) and made him a prophet. • The messages he received were the basis for Islam and were collected in the holy book of Islam called the Quran. Allah • Muhammad taught that there was only one God, Allah, which means “the God” in Arabic. This is similar to Christianity and Judaism. • Muslims also recognize many of the same prophets as Christians and Jews. • Muslims don’t believe that Jesus was the son of God. • Arabs were used to worshipping many gods, so many of them rejected Muhammad’s teachings. Islam Rejected At First • Islam spread from Mecca to Medina. • Rulers of Mecca began to threaten Muhammad and his followers with violence as Islam started to influence more people. • Muhammad left Mecca and went to Medina.
    [Show full text]
  • After Hajj: Muslim Pilgrims Refashioning Themselves
    religions Article Article After Hajj: Muslim Pilgrims Refashioning Themselves Kholoud Al-Ajarma Kholoud Al-Ajarma Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, 9712 GK Groningen, The Netherlands; [email protected] of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, 9712 GK Groningen, The Netherlands; [email protected] Abstract: The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty which Abstract: The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty which Muslims must perform—once in a lifetime—if they are physically and financially able to do so. In Muslims must perform—once in a lifetime—if they are physically and financially able to do so. Morocco, from where thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca every year, the Hajj often represents In Morocco, from where thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca every year, the Hajj often represents the culmination of years of preparation and planning, both spiritual and logistical. Pilgrims often the culmination of years of preparation and planning, both spiritual and logistical. Pilgrims often describe their journey to Mecca as a transformative experience. Upon successfully completing the describe their journey to Mecca as a transformative experience. Upon successfully completing the pilgrimage and returning home, pilgrims must negotiate their new status—and the expectations pilgrimage and returning home, pilgrims must negotiate their new status—and the expectations that come with it—within the mundane and complex reality of everyday life. There are many am- that come with it—within the mundane and complex reality of everyday life.
    [Show full text]
  • Atrocity Crimes Against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, Myanmar
    BEARING WITNESS REPORT NOVEMBER 2017 “THEY TRIED TO KILL US ALL” Atrocity Crimes against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, Myanmar SIMON-SKJODT CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, DC www.ushmm.org The United States Holocaust Museum’s work on genocide and related crimes against humanity is conducted by the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. The Simon-Skjodt Center is dedicated to stimulating timely global action to prevent genocide and to catalyze an international response when it occurs. Our goal is to make the prevention of genocide a core foreign policy priority for leaders around the world through a multipronged program of research, education, and public outreach. We work to equip decision makers, starting with officials in the United States but also extending to other governments and institutions, with the knowledge, tools, and institutional support required to prevent— or, if necessary, halt—genocide and related crimes against humanity. FORTIFY RIGHTS Southeast Asia www.fortifyrights.org Fortify Rights works to ensure and defend human rights for all. We investigate human rights violations, engage policy makers and others, and strengthen initiatives led by human rights defenders, affected communities, and civil society. We believe in the influence of evidence- based research, the power of strategic truth-telling, and the importance of working closely with individuals, communities, and movements pushing for change. We are an independent, nonprofit organization based in Southeast Asia and registered in the United States and Switzerland. The United State Holocaust Memorial Museum uses the name “Burma” and Fortify Rights uses the name “Myanmar” to describe the same country.
    [Show full text]
  • SACRED SPACES: ISLAMIC ART and ARCHITECTURE (Mecca and the Dome of the Rock) ART of EARLY ISLAM
    SACRED SPACES: ISLAMIC ART and ARCHITECTURE (Mecca and the Dome of the Rock) ART of EARLY ISLAM Online Links: Mosque - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dome of the Rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mecca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kaaba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Minaret - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mihrab - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Minbar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Adhan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Muezzin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Isra and Mi'raj - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ART of EARLY ISLAM Online Links: Origin of the Crescent Moon Symbol - The Guardian The Kaaba – Smarthistory Dome of the Rock - Smarthistory Known to the Muslim faithful as Umm al-Qura- the Mother of Cities- Mecca is the holiest place in the Islamic world. Here, the prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632 CE), the messenger of God and founder of the Muslim faith, was born. Here, too, within the city’s Great Mosque, is the most sacred Muslim shrine, the Ka’aba. According to tradition, this cube-shaped building, draped in black cloth embroidered with a band of sacred verses in gold and silver thread, was originally built as a replica of a heavenly prototype. It was sacred to the Meccans before the time of the Prophet. And since the birth of Islam in the seventh century, it has been the focal point of the hajj, now the world’s largest annual pilgrimage. One of the “five pillars” of Islam, the hajj lasts several days, during which pilgrims must carry out certain rituals in Mecca and at sacred sites nearby. Muslims consider the city and an area several miles around it to be haram (“restricted,” “sacred”) and off-limits to non-Muslims.
    [Show full text]
  • The Masjid, Yesterday and Today Is a Branch Campus of Georgetown University, the Oldest Catholic and Jesuit University in America, Founded in 1789
    Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar The Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, opened in August 2005, The Masjid, Yesterday and Today is a branch campus of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789. The program builds on Georgetown University’s long tradition Zakaryya Mohamed Abdel-Hady of educating future leaders for careers in the international arena through a liberal arts undergraduate program focused on international affairs. For more information about the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, please visit http://qatar.sfs.georgetown.edu. About the Author Zakaryya Mohamed Abdel-Hady is Associate Professor of Islamic Thought The Center for International and Regional Studies and Culture at the Department of Dawa and Islamic Culture at Qatar University. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1997 in Islamic Studies from the Established in 2005, the Center for International and Regional Studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He worked as a Research Fellow at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar is a premier research the University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland, and later he moved to the institute devoted to the academic study of regional and international issues through Middle East where he has worked in the UAE and Qatar. Abdel-Hady dialogue and exchange of ideas, research and scholarship, and engagement with has presented and published a number of books and articles in both Arabic national and international scholars, opinion makers, practitioners, and activists. and English, among them “Islam & Muslims in Scotland,” “‘Islamophobia’ ...A threat ...A challenge,” “Intellectual characteristics of the human being Guided by the principles of academic excellence, forward vision, and community as mentioned in the Quran,” “Rights and Responsibilities of Wife: Islamic engagement, the Center’s mission revolves around five principal goals: Teachings vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Researching Pilgrimage in Israel/Palestine and Egypt," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol
    International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Volume 7 Issue 3 Article 3 2019 Searching for the Green Man: Researching Pilgrimage in Israel/ Palestine and Egypt Mary Thurlkill University of Mississippi, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp Part of the Christianity Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Islamic Studies Commons, and the Tourism and Travel Commons Recommended Citation Thurlkill, Mary (2019) "Searching for the Green Man: Researching Pilgrimage in Israel/Palestine and Egypt," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 7: Iss. 3, Article 3. doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/3pmx-q005 Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol7/iss3/3 Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. © International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage ISSN : 2009-7379 Available at: http://arrow.dit.ie/ijrtp/ Volume 7(iii) 2019 Searching for the Green Man: Researching Pilgrimage in Israel/Palestine and Egypt Mary Thurlkill University of Mississippi [email protected] This article examines contemporary pilgrimage in Israel / Palestine and Egypt, based upon field work conducted December 2017-February 2018 and personal narrative. My argument is twofold: first, I contend that Pilgrimage Studies allows scholars to move beyond reductive labels and consider the implicit ‘messiness’ of religious faith and ritual praxis. I introduce the Islamic al-Khidr and Moses story from Qur’an 18.60-82, as an interpretative model, suggesting that rigid categorization—especially concerning religious identity and sectarian division—promotes a false narrative of monolithic faith traditions that, upon closer examination, does not fully exist.
    [Show full text]
  • Mental Health Disparities for Muslim Americans
    Mental Health Disparities: Muslim Americans Demographics • Based on estimates by the Pew Research Center, generation, and 24% are third-generation or later.3 there are about 3.45 million Muslims living in • Muslim Americans are the youngest faith group in the U.S., comprising about 1.1% of the total U.S. the U.S., with one-third under 30 years old.4 population.1 Other sources report a range of 3.4 to 7 million Muslims in America.2 (Based on • Muslim immigrants come from 75 different independent demographic research, US Census countries around the world; no single country does not formally ask religious affiliation, therefore or region accounts for a majority of Muslim the range is so broad.) immigrants, making it one of the most diverse Percentage of adult population that's Muslim, by state religious community in U.S.3 SOURCE:• P ewBy Res e2050,arch Cent ether U.S. Muslim population is projected to be more than 8 million, surpassing Judaism as the • 85% of Muslim Americans say their faith identity is second most common faith in the U.S.1 a source of happiness in their lives, only surpassed by white Evangelicals (94%).5 • 42% of Muslim Americans are U.S. born. 58% are immigrants, more than half of whom moved to U.S. • A majority of Muslims (64%) support a pluralistic in the last two decades.3 approach to their faith, maintaining that there are multiple true ways to interpret Islam.6 • 18% of Muslim American adults are second- Population Distribution of Muslim Americans in the United States Percentage of adult pPeorcpentuaglea oft Miuoslinm a tduhlt .a.
    [Show full text]
  • 181 the Mantle of Khidr1 Mystery, Myth and Meaning
    ARAM, 20 (2008) 181-194. doi: 10.2143/ARAM.20.0.2033128S. HIRTENSTEIN 181 THE MANTLE OF KHIDR1 MYSTERY, MYTH AND MEANING ACCORDING TO MUHYIDDIN IBN ‘ARABI2 Mr. STEPHEN HIRTENSTEIN (Ibn ‘Arabi Society) INTRODUCTION At first sight there seems to be little connection between Elijah, George and Khidr, apart from the fact that in the Middle East they are frequently associ- ated with the same place by different religious traditions. Is it then a simple case of overlapping traditions, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, all of whom fo- cus on the Holy Land as part of their own heritage and take Abraham as their forefather? Certainly there is a view which suggests that Khidr is to Muslims what Elijah is to Jews, in respect of them both acting as initiator to the true believer, and which in itself is testimony to attempts to find common ground between the three traditions. The sacred sites associated with them over centu- ries seem to have accumulated worship in various forms, so that one sits quite literally on top of or next to another. The sites often exhibit similar attributes: for instance, the presence of water and greenness, suggesting fertility in a bar- ren land; or perhaps a cave, which represents a meeting-place of two worlds, the manifest and the hidden (and on occasion both elements are present, as at Banyas). Then there is the ancient theme of the spiritual side of man being dominant over the material, as suggested in the stories by the holy rider on a chariot or horse (or in the case of Khidr, a fish3).
    [Show full text]
  • The Adhan (Athan, Azan) and Iqama (Iqamah, Iqamat)
    The Adhan (Athan, Azan) and Iqama (Iqamah, Iqamat) The adhān is Islams call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. Adhan is called out by the muezzin in the mosque, sometimes from a minaret, five times a day summoning Muslims for mandatory (fard) prayers (salah). There is a second call known as iqama (set up) that summons Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers. The main purpose behind the loud pronouncement of adhan five times a day in every mosque is to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief. It is intended to bring to the mind of every believer and non-believer the substance of Islamic beliefs, or its spiritual ideology. Loudspeakers are sometimes installed on minarets for the purpose. The adhan sums up the teachings of Islam: there is no God but Allah; Muhammad is God's Messenger; salvation is found through obedience to the Will of God, of which prayer is an important expression. 1) The Prophet of Allah has said, "I went to paradise and saw domes of pearl and its dirt is of musk." He said, "Oh Gabrial, who is this for?" He replied, "This if for your ummah's Muazzin (one who says the Adhan) and Imams." [Narrated Abu Ya'la Fee Musnad] 2) The one who says Adhan for Sawaab is like that martyred who is drenched in blood and when he will die insects will not come on in his body. [Narrated Tabrani] 3) If people knew how much reward there was in Adhan then swords would be used amongst them [to say it].
    [Show full text]